Deformation of shape memory rigid-plastic bodies under variable external loads and temperatures

Under increasing loading and at a constant temperature shape memory solids become deformed in an ideal elastic plastic way as other metals, and the maximum elastic strains are much less than the ultimate plastic ones. The shape is restored at the elevated temperature and low stress level. Phenomenologically, the «reverse» deformation is equivalent to the change in shape under active loading up to sign. Plastic deformation plays a leading role in a non-elastic process; thus, the mechanical behavior should be analyzed within the ideal rigid-plastic model with two loading surfaces. In this model two physical states of the material correspond to the loading surfaces: plastic flow under high stresses and melting at a relatively low temperature. The second section poses a problem of deformation of rigid-plastic bodies at the constant temperature in two forms: as a principle of virtual velocities with the von Mises yield condition and as a requirement of the minimum dissipative functional. The equivalence of the accepted definitions and the existence of the generalized solutions is proved for both principles. The third section studies the rigid-plastic model of the solid at the variable temperature with two loading surfaces. For the assumed model two optimal principles are defined that link the external loads and the displacement velocities of the solid points both under active loading and in the process of shape restoration under heating. The existence of generalized velocities is proved for the wide variety of 3D domains. The connection between the variational principles and the variable temperature is ensured by inclusion of the first and second principles of thermodynamics in the calculation model. It is essential that only the phenomenological description of the phenomenon is used in the proving process. The austenite-to-martensite transformations of alloys, which are often the key elements in explanations of the mechanical behavior of shape memory materials, are not used here. The fourth section includes the definition of the shape memory materials as solids with two loading surfaces and proves the existence of solutions within the accepted restrictions. The adequacy of the model and the experiments on deformation of shape memory materials is demonstrated. In the conclusion mathematical problems that could be interesting for future research are defined.